First saltwater tank

First off let me introduce myself my name is sean and i live on long island. Iv been big into keeping freshwater tanks and poison dart frogs for a number of years and now i am going to give reef keeping a try. I have been doing countless hours of research and began to gather supplies to get things started by february/march of next year. I plan on going away for about 3 weeks around christmas time so i am going to hold off on getting started atleast until i get back. Anyway a few comments on what I am planning on doing:

I dont have a specific plan as far as stocking goes but i do know i want a bunch of inverts, different colored corals and maybe a small fish or two.


I already purchased a jbj nanocube 24 from a member here on MR and thoroughly cleaned it out. I havent leak tested it yet but it is on my list of things to do.
included with the tank was the standard jbj stand ( alittle beat up so i may replace or try to fix up), an aqua c remora skimmer and a tunze nanostream 6015 powerhead
I already have a minijet 606 which flow rate is about 155 gph which i plan on using for the return pump from the filter.(too weak?)

The lighting is kind of crappy and i am going to upgrade before starting. Looking to go led to keep heat down and was looking at this fixture on ebay http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=330828382635 any comments on how you think thiis fixture will work out?

Also since i am removing the hood i am worried about my cat being able to get into the tank. I dont want to use a glass hood because i want good air exchange and i hear of people using clear plastic mesh screen on top, do you think this would work?

Okay so a few other questions, forgive me if they are dumb:

I plan on using 25-30 lbs of live rock in here and live sand (how much?), would you advise on running the aqua c remora skimmer on this type of set up also?

I am confused on how i should set the filter sections up also, since i am going to rely on mostly biological filtration should i use any filter media or anything in there or just put more live rock back there?
If there is live rock back there will it need light?
could i light it at night to prevent any night time swings?

If anyone has any recommendations of filter set ups i would greatly appreciate it.

Also any beginner coral stocking recommendations would great, just so i know where to begin.

Thanks in advance.

well come to mr im sure you will get good advice here, i wouldn't worry about your cat jumping in. but you might want a mesh cover to keep fish in. my cat climbs on everything in the house except the tank.

edd said:

well come to mr im sure you will get good advice here, i wouldn't worry about your cat jumping in. but you might want a mesh cover to keep fish in. my cat climbs on everything in the house except the tank.

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Thanks, but my cat is the dumbest cat iv ever seen. I wouldnt put it past her to fall into the tank atleast once lol. Regardless i know she will try and scoop those fish out in a second so definitely need something. Not sure how im going to make a screen cover though with the odd shape of the tank.

Anyone have any input on the lighting i may buy in the next few weeks?

Hi Shibby,


I would try this site for lighting - Reefbreeders.net. They are inexpensive led's with very high build quality. I bought one for my new tank and its amazing.

deff look more into a diff kind of light i would say.
i have used the clear screens from bulkreefsupply and i like them or u can do a DIY im sure.
as long as u have at least 1lbs of rock per gal of water with plenty of flow you should be ok, as to the back filter set up idk i never had this tank but if its like a bio-cube what i did what i put my skimmer back there with a heater and also micro filters and my carbon thats it.

Can someone recommend a good led fixture for this tank for under $250? Looking for atleast 90w

Wingo LEDs. Without a doubt. 120 watt 7 colors.Check out my review on them and if u have any questions dont hesitate to ask.

If you take a look around you could probably get an ai sol somewhere between $275 and $300 if you have the time to watch out for a good deal....assuming you're willing to bump up price scale a bit

Sent from my PC36100 using Reefs

Im having trouble finding any info on the wingos, their site is under construction. Is that 120w fixture dimmable?


What is wrong with this fixture http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=330828382635 ? Is bridgelux a good company for leds?
It is appealing to me because of the dimmers, i would like to be able to adjust the white and blue to switch up the color if i want.

brunoboarder2444 said:

If you take a look around you could probably get an ai sol somewhere between $275 and $300 if you have the time to watch out for a good deal....assuming you're willing to bump up price scale a bit

Sent from my PC36100 using Reefs

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Is $300 for a nano a good deal? http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=251081213683

shibbyplustax said:

Is $300 for a nano a good deal? http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=251081213683

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no! Some members sell regular models used for around that price

Wingo LEDs are better and have a USA warranty in case something breaks down. He is a vendor here. U can search him up. Tell him that you are a newbie. He will give u a good deal

Koolaidreef said:

Wingo LEDs are better and have a USA warranty in case something breaks down. He is a vendor here. U can search him up. Tell him that you are a newbie. He will give u a good deal

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You have the super d120 and your happy with it? So far this is the fixture that best suites my needs other than the one i already posted. I has blue and white on two seperate dimmable channels correct?

Wingo is the way to go if u wanna keep the canopy plus he has dimmers and different color LEDs if need be.

ruha456 said:

Wingo is the way to go if u wanna keep the canopy plus he has dimmers and different color LEDs if need be.

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Yeah i will probably end up going with wingos. Those will fit in the jbj canopy? I am probably going to end up taking the canopy off anyway as the skimmer i am using doesnt fit unless i move the canopy forward more on the tank which looks ugly. Also the hinge for the flip open cover broke so if i want to make this project look clean i will need to get a new jbj canopy or get rid of it completely.

Call JBJ they might be able to help u never know. An if not try an mod the canopy to fit the skimmer. Just a thought, good luck and post some pics. Here's a pic of my Biocube modded by Wingo.

+1 try modding, I'm sure enough people have had a problem like that and posted a how to video on youtube

ruha456 said:

Call JBJ they might be able to help u never know. An if not try an mod the canopy to fit the skimmer. Just a thought, good luck and post some pics. Here's a pic of my Biocube modded by Wingo.
View attachment 126618

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Looks nice, the previous owner tried modding to fit the skimmer but there wasnt enough space to cut away. Anymore cutting and i would be cutting into electronics for the lighting. Ill figure out a way to make it look clean even if it means ditching the hood. I will post pics once i get started so you guys can tell me what you think.

Something to keep in mind when Wingo does your lights he will work around what u need he is good like that.

ruha456 said:

Something to keep in mind when Wingo does your lights he will work around what u need he is good like that.

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Anyone know his user name here on MR?